


Birds of a Feather

by Aurone



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 18OI AU Week 2019: Day 1, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Boys Kissing, Bullying, F/F, M/M, Soulmates, Wing Grooming, Wingfic, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-03-08 03:17:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18886087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurone/pseuds/Aurone
Summary: In this world, everyone has wings.  When you are born your wings are white.  When your soulmate touches your wings they acquire a pattern in the color of your soulmate's eyes.  Sometimes when twins are born one twin's wings are broken and they cannot ever fly.  This happened to Michele and he thinks he doesn't have a soulmate because he is broken, but it that actually true?





	1. White Feathers

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the 18OI AU Week 2019 event for the 18OI discord channel. This is for Day 1 whose prompt was Fantasy/Mythology/Fairytale.

Emil stepped out of the aviary and shook his wings, stretching them out.  They were stiff from being held against his body while he was inside the living quarters. 

_ I need to go get some food. My pantry is almost bare. Luckily, there is a good hunting ground nearby.  Maybe I can bring back enough meat that Sara will trade me for some vegetables. _

Emil sniffed the air as he got ready to take off to fly to the nearby meadow. 

_ Seems like winter will be here soon.  Maybe I should winter in this village? They have been pretty kind to me, unlike some of the others I have visited, and I like Sara. I can’t stay in the visiting aviary if I am going to stay the winter.   But I know that there is a open aviary nearer to the ground. It would probably be good for someone to live in it for a while and do some upkeep on it. I’ll ask the village elder, Yakov, about it when I get back.  _

Emil used the platform that was attached to the aviary to launch his body into the sky.  He flew the short distance to the meadow where most of the avams got their prey. It took him several hours, but he managed to hunt enough prey for himself and for trading. He put the animals in the sack that most avams carried to hold things during flight. He got a running start and threw his body into the air.  

_ It’s always difficult to take off from the ground.   _

He made the quick flight back to the visiting aviary that he was occupying. He slowed his flight and landed gently onto the platform in front of the aviary.  The tree swayed in the breeze but Emil didn’t even notice as he walked into the house. His aviary, like most, were one large room with a single bedroom off to one side. The rooms were formed by years of magic manipulation of the trees in a village. Since not every avam had the magic to coax the trees, the design plans for the homes were usually simple. Avams that could manipulate the trees were often revered and ended up being a village elder. Yakov was an elder who had the ability to talk to and manipulate the trees. That’s why this particular village had enough aviaries to have some empty.  In some of the villages that Emil had visited, he had to stay with other families of avams because they didn’t have enough aviaries. Those villages hadn’t had a revered avam in a several generations. Emil folded his wings against his body as he entered the aviary. It wouldn’t do to knock things off the shelves in the aviary with his wings. He untied the sack from his belt and laid it on the table in the center of his living space. Walking to the kitchen area of the living space, he grabbed his skinning knife and cutting board. He skinned and prepped the prey he had caught so that it was ready to be cooked.  He stored his ration away in the kitchen area and put the rest into the sack. He cleaned the cutting board and the knife and put them away. After cleaning himself up, he picked up the sack and left the aviary. He walked along the connected walkways from his aviary to Sara’s and her mate’s. They lived in one of the lower aviaries so he had to take a few of the ladders down to reach their abode. He rapped lightly on the outside of the avairy. Mila, Sara’s mate, answered the door. 

Mila said, “Emil.  Come in. We haven’t seen you in a bit.”

Emil chuckled and said, “Didn’t know you missed me.”

Mila rolled her eyes at the avam as she said, “Sara, we have company.”

Sara asked, “Is it Mickey?”

Mila said, “Nope.  Emil.”

Sara said, “Well, let him in then.”

Mila gestured for the avam to enter their aviary.  

Emil said, “I brought some meat I hunted this afternoon. I was wondering if you had some vegetables for trade?”

Sara said, “We do.  Let me get you some.”

As Emil waited in the living area for Sara to retrieve the food, his eyes were caught by Mila’s feathers.  They had a beautiful lavender pattern on them. 

_ Her wings are really pretty.  Sara’s aren’t bad either, with that intricate bright blue design. _

He grimaced as he caught sight of his own white feathers in his peripheral vision.

_ Why can’t I find my soulmate?  I have been to so many villages and no one has been able to give color to my wings. _

Sara asked as she brought over the food, “How much longer are you staying in the village?”

Emil said, “I’ll probably winter here.”

Mila nodded and said, “That’s probably smart.  We have enough room for you here and it gives you some time to get winter supplies together.”

Emil replied, “That’s kind of what I was thinking, plus everyone here has been so nice to me.”

Sara wrinkled her forehead as she asked, “Have some villages been unkind?”

Emil shrugged and said, “I am a rather unusual case.  Most of the time soulmates are born in the same village.”

Sara asked, “But why would they. . .”

Emil just sighed, “Some villages are more superstitious than others and I had to leave them rather quickly.”

Sara shook her head and said, “That’s unfortunate.  I wish you had found your soulmate here. I, for one, would like you to be able to stay permanently.”

Sara looked over at her mate.

“But I understand why you have to go.”

Emil sadly nodded.

_ I would like to be able to stay here, too. It’s a nice village.  _

Sara asked, “Would you like to stay and break bread with us?  We don’t have company often.”

Emil nodded and said, “Sure.  If it’s not a problem. I don’t want to impose.”

Mila said, “You are more than welcome to stay.   We enjoy the company.”

Emil helped Mila and Sara prepare their simple dinner and enjoyed the camaraderie around the their table as they ate.  After dinner, he helped the mated pair clean up by drying the dishes as Mila washed them. When they were done cleaning up, he grabbed his sack with the traded vegetables.

He said, “See you ladies later.  Have a good night.”

“Night, Emil.” The girls chorused back as he ducked out of their abode.

He strolled back along the bridges towards his empty aviary.

_ Will I ever find my mate?  Are they even out there? _

All of a sudden a flash of white caught Emil’s attention.  He looked several levels down to see an avam with white wings.  They were walking along the lower levels. 

_ Who is that?  And why didn’t anyone tell me he was here.  He is the right age. . . everyone knows why I am here.  So why. . .? _

Emil said, “Who is he?”

Seung-gil, who happened to be walking by, said, “That’s Michele.”

Emil started, not aware that he had asked the question out loud.

Emil asked, “Who is Michele, and why haven’t I seen him before?”

Seung-gil replied, “He is actually Sara’s twin.  He doesn’t come to the upper levels often.”

Emil, confused, asked, “Why?”

Seung-gil said, “He’s broken.”

“Broken?”

“When twins are born, often one has a wing that does not develop.  They cannot fly. In some villages, they are left to die.” 

“What?!”

Seung-gil shrugged, “They are useless.  What is an avam that cannot fly?”

“Still, why didn’t someone tell me about him.  He could be my mate.”

“Honestly?  We don’t think he has a mate, since he is broken.  We had never heard of an avam having a mate outside their village until you came.  It is likely no one remembered him, even his sister.”

“How sad.”

Seung-gil shrugged again.

Emil watched Michele until he went into what Emil assumed was his aviary.   He thanked Seung-gil for the information and digested what he had learned as he walked back to his aviary.

_ I could go visit him tomorrow and offer a trade as a way to speak to him.  He probably doesn’t hunt, but he probably gets other foodstuffs from the ground. I’d give him some of the meat I caught but I bet he is the kind who doesn’t appreciate handouts.  _

 

The Next Day:

 

Emil picked out some of the better cuts of the meat he had brought home yesterday.  He put them in a carry bag and tied it around his belt. He climbed down the ladders connecting the levels of the aviaries until he reached the level that Michele lived on. He walked up to Michele’s aviary and knocked politely.  

_ All he can do is refuse to talk to me, right? _

Emil was completely unprepared for the door of the aviary to swing wildly open with an angry avam barreling along behind it. Michele ran full tilt into Emil.

Michele exclaimed, “Can’t you just leave me alone?!”

Emil hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of his lungs. He hissed in pain as one of his wings got caught beneath his body. He looked up at Michele in shock. Michele look sheepishly at the avam that he didn’t know.

_ Who is he? And, when did he get here? I haven’t been up to the upper levels in so long.  _

Michele said, “Uh. . . sorry?

Emil scowled and asked, “What is wrong with you?  Is that how you always answer your door?”

Michele replied, “No?”

Emil said, “Then. . . why?”

Michele didn’t answer but held out a hand to help Emil up. The avam looked up at Michele for a moment before taking his hand and allowing Michele to help him up off the ground. Emil grimaced when his injured wing was jostled by the movement. 

Michele asked, “Did I hurt you?”

Emil said, “My wing.”

Michele thought  _ Shit. I can’t. . . what if he can’t fly? And it’s my fault?  _

Michele asked, “Can I take a look?”

Emil shrugged. Michele walked behind him and looked at the damaged wing. 

Michele asked, “Why were you down here anyways? People only come down here when they think it’d be fun to taunt me.”

Emil replied, “Well, I brought some meat for trade and I wanted to get to know you, but now I am not so sure.”

Michele blushed, ashamed of his previous behavior.

Michele asked, “Why? No one wants to be friends with the flightless one.”

Emil said sheepishly, “Well, your wings are still white.”

Michele raised an eyebrow and replied, “So?  No one thinks I have a soulmate. There is no one here for me to be matched to.”

Emil said, “There wasn’t anyone for me in my village either.  I have been traveling from village to village looking for my soulmate.”

Michele said, “You don’t think?”

Emil shrugged. 

Michele said, “I’m broken.  Broken birds don’t have a soulmate.”

Emil asked, “Who the Hell told you that?”

Michele sighed and said, “Everyone.”

_ I will not cry.  Not in front of this stranger. _

Emil said, “Well, I think that is crap.  You being able to fly or not has no bearing on if you have a soulmate. I was taught everyone has a soulmate. I’ve just had to work harder to find mine than most.”

Michele finally spotted the injury. He started to reach out and touch the feathers to check the extent of the damage. 

_ His feathers are a mess.  Doesn’t he have anyone to care for him. _

He pulled his hand back and asked, “May I touch your feathers? I need to assess the amount of damage.”

Emil replied, “Yes.”

_ It’s been so long since anyone touched me.  I’ve had no one to groom my feathers in so long.  I just can’t ask a stranger and I haven’t been near my family in awhile.  _

Emil felt a soft touch on his feathers and then a shudder passed through his body.  He heard Michele gasp.

Emil, alarmed, asked, “Is it that bad?”

Michele said, “They. . . they are purple.”

Emil said, “What?!” as he glanced down at his wings. 

Michele said, “I’m. . . it’s not possible.  I’m broken.”

Emil, eyes wide, said, “You are. . .”

He turned around to look Michele in the eyes which were the same purple as the color that had spread along Emil’s wings. 

Emil said, “I don’t care if you can fly or not.  I have been looking for you for so long. Can I?”

Michele shook his head and said, “You can’t be stuck with me.  No one deserves that.”

Emil asked, “But what about you?  What about what you deserve? Don’t you deserve to be happy, too?”

Tears started running down Michele’s face. Emil softly touched Michele’s face and the boy dissolved into sobbing. Careful to not touch his wings, Emil brought Michele into an embrace.  Michele laid his head on Emil’s shoulder and sobbed. 


	2. Burden

After Michele cried himself out, he tried to get Emil to go away. He moved towards his house intending to shut Emil out, but he move into the aviary before Michele could shut the door. 

_ Un-huh.  I’ve looked too long for you, just to have you turn me out. _

Michele sighed and gestured to a chair that was in the living space.  Emil settled himself on the chair, grimacing as he settled his wings. 

Michele, covering his face in his hands, said, “Please. . . just go.  You don’t want someone like me.”

Emil replied, “Why? I don’t see anything wrong with you.”

Michele said, “But. . . but I can’t fly.”

Emil shrugged and said, “So?”

Michele, nearly screaming, said, “What use is an avam that cannot fly?”

Emil said, “There are a lot of things you are capable of. . . flight or no.  I don’t know why your village has done this to you, but in my old village we had several avams that couldn’t fly, due to injury or age.  We gave them jobs to do that didn’t require flight like watching the younglings, or weaving, or foraging on the ground.”

Michele asked, “But how did they?”

Emil said, “They traded for the items they needed, either by labour or by trade of something they made.  Others in my village would often bring them items if they found themselves with extra.”

Michele said, “That sounds like a nice place.”

Emil nodded and said, “It is.”

Michele asked, “Then why leave?”

Emil gave Michele a look that said, “Really, you are going to ask that?”

Emil just gestured to his now purple wings.

Michele breathed out, “Oh.”

Emil said, “Won’t you let me?”

Michele shook his head and said, “If you touch me, then the bond will be complete.  I can’t burden you that way.”

Emil said, “But. . .”

Michele said, “No but. I will not be a burden, yours or anyone else’s.”

Tears gathered in the corners of Emil’s eyes.

_ I will not cry in front of him.  How in the Gods’ names can I change his mind? Hmm. _

Emil said, “Well, right now I am your burden.”

Michele said, “Huh? What do you mean?”

Emil said, “You injured me, which means you have to take care of me until I am healed.  Isn’t that how the law goes in your village?”

Michele sighed and nodded.  

He asked, “Can I look at the injury?”

Emil nodded.  Michele moved until he was standing behind Emil. He noticed how unkempt his feathers were. 

Michele asked, “Why are your feathers such a mess?  Don’t you care about them?”

_ You can fly! Why would you risk that by not taking care of your feathers? _

Emil bristled and retorted, “I’ve been away from my village for a long time searching for my soulmate.”

_ Searching for you. _

“I have been away from my family, and therefore had no one to groom them for me.  I couldn’t very well ask a stranger.”

Michele said, “Oh. Would you mind if I. . .”

_ Oh, please, yes. _

Emil said, “If you would like too, then I would very much appreciate it.  It’s beginning to interfere with my flight.”

Michele nodded and went to go get ointment for the injury and his brush and oil to groom Emil’s feathers. When he returned, he set the items on the table. He softly and tentatively touched Emil’s feathers.  His fingers traced the purple pattern now decorating the wings. 

_ I have a soulmate.  I could. . . no I can’t.  I’m broken and he deserves more.  _

Emil shivered under the touch.

Michele, concerned, asked, “Did that hurt?”

Emil shook his head.

_ It felt good.  _

Michele inspected the injury.  

_ Hmm, I broke several feathers.  Did I break a bone in there. Dear Gods, I did.  Why did I do that? What’s wrong with me?  _

He removed the broken feathers, laying the pieces on the table. Then he pulled out the broken shafts. 

Emil grunted.

Michele said, “Sorry, there is just a couple more.”

Emil nodded. 

After Michele finished removing the broken feathers, he put some ointment on the area where the broken feathers had been.  He looked at the break.

_ It’s too small to splint or anything.  He is just going to have to be careful for a couple of months. Ugh. That means I am going to be stuck with him probably through the winter.  _

Michele said, “There is a broken bone in your wing.”

Emil said, “Hmm. I guess that’s what hurts.”

Michele said, “It is too small to splint.  You are just going to have to be careful of it for awhile.”

Emil smiled and said, “That means I am probably going to have to winter with you.”

Michele sighed and said, “I know.”

Emil thought  _ I am not that bad, am I? _

Emil said, “If we can get to the guest aviaries, I have some food and other items that might be useful.”

Michele said, “Okay.  Well, first I am going to groom your wings and then we will talk about what we need to do to winter here properly.”

_ We can’t starve like I usually do.  He’ll never leave. _

Michele slowly began to set Emil’s feathers aright. He realigned the ones that had been blown out of place.  He pulled out a couple more broken ones. He took a soft cloth and wiped away the dust and grime on the feathers. Finally, he used the brush to put a light layer of the oil on the feathers.  It helped them be water repellant. Emil sighed in pleasure as Michele worked on his wings. Michele looked down at the avam. Emil was sitting on the chair with his eyes closed completely relaxed. Michele watched him for a moment.

_ He’s pretty. It would be nice to not be alone any more. But I can’t. . . I can’t. Can I? _

Michele picked up the tools and stored them back under the wash basin in the bedroom. 

When Michele re-entered the room, Emil asked, “So what do we need to do to get ready for winter?  Have you started preparing yet?”

Michele shook his head.

_ I never have enough to store.  I only get what Sara brings me. She does the best she can but. . . _

Emil said, “Since neither of us can fly right now, we should got forage tomorrow.  There should be some Fall vegetables and berries out there right now that we can dry for the winter.”

Michele said, “I’ve never. . .”

Emil asked, “No one ever taught you to forage or grow vegetables?”

Michele said, “No one ever taught me anything except what a burden I was to the village.”

Emil said, “What in the Underworld is wrong with your village?  Have you been starving all your life?”

Emil looked closely at the avam.

_ He does look gaunt. Gods, all his life he has been told he has to suffer because of how he was born.  _

Michele blushed and looked away.

Emil said, “Well, that ends now. I am going to teach you how to find food and do some things that don’t require flight.”

Michele asked, “You would do that for me?”

_ I’d do just about anything for you.  _

Emil nodded and said, “We should rest for the rest of the day or think about climbing to the aviary I was in to retrieve what food I had up there.  But first, let’s eat. You’ve got to be hungry. It’s past the noon meal time.”

Michel said shyly, “I don’t. . .”

Emil said, “There is some food in my bag.  We can eat that.” 

He reached down and picked the bag up off the floor. He had put some meat and a few of the vegetables that he had gotten from Sara yesterday. He emptied the sack on the table. 

Emil asked, “Think we can make do with this?”

Michele thought  _ I haven’t had meat in so long. _

Michele said, “That looks. . . fantastic.  Let me get it cooked up for us.”

Emil said, “Okay.  Let me know if you need any help.”

Michele nodded and took the food to his small kitchen. He cooked the food over a small fire until it filled the aviary with a delicious smell.  When it was finished, he dished it onto two plates. He sat one down in front of Emil and handed him an eating utensil that he had made. They ate quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. 

When Emil finished, he said, “That was good.  Thank you for cooking.”

Michele blushed and said, “It was nothing.”

_ It’s nice to be full for a change.  Now, I really want a nap. Oh. . . there is only one hammock in this aviary.  _

Michele choked at this particular realization.  Emil had gathered their plates and had moved to the kitchen area to clean them and put them away. 

Emil asked, “Are you okay?”

Michele thought  _ No.  _

He said, “I’m fine.”

Emil said, “I think I am gonna climb up to my aviary.  Do you want to come?”

_ He might need help carrying stuff and I haven’t been up in the upper levels in awhile. _

Michele said, “Sure.  I can help you carry stuff.”

_ Hopefully no one will. . . if he sees that. . . _

Emil picked up his empty carry sack and said, “Ready?”

Michele nodded, having picked up his own travel sack. 

They exited Michele’s home and began the long climb up to the guest aviaries. The first two levels were easy and they didn’t run into any of the other villagers, but by the third one they were panting and starting to feel the burn in their arms and legs. 

Emil said, “Let’s rest on the next level?  I think it’s at least three more levels up to the guest aviaries.” 

Michele said, “That might be best.”

Michele spotted him first. 

_ Shit. Seung-gil is one of the worst as far as my tormentors. _

Seung-gil called out to Emil before they could escape to the next level. 

He said, “Hey Emil.  Did you talk to. . .”

He stopped, stunned at the color on Emil’s wings. He eyes immediately cut over to Michele’s wings, confusion crossing his face as he saw the still white wings.

Seung-gil said, “I guess the broken one had a soulmate after all, but you didn’t bond with him.  Why?”

Michele said softly, “Don’t call me that.  I have a name. And would you want to be bonded to me?”

Seung-gil replied, “Well, it’s not like he can bond to someone else.  So are you going to force him into a life of loneliness and ridicule?”

Michele, wrinkling his brow, asked, “Ridicule?”

Emil sighed, “Many villages think an avam without a mate is bad luck.  I’ve been nearly run out of villages. My own didn’t really want me to stay since I was unpaired. It’s almost worse than not being able to fly.”

Seung-gil said, “Besides, people are going to think that Emil is so bad that you didn’t want to bond with him.  How do you think that is going to affect him? Think about what you are doing for once.”

Michele said angrily, “Just. . . just leave me alone.”

Michele climbed to the next level, leaving Emil and Seung-gil standing below him. 

_ Why can’t they just leave me alone.  I didn’t ask for this! He came barging into my life.  _

Seung-gil said, “Sorry, Emil.  You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Emil said, “Don’t I know it.  But he is stuck with me through the winter so that will give me some time. You all have been cruel to him, you know. He doesn’t think he deserves a soulmate.”

Seung-gil cringed and said, “I know.  Some members of the village have some outdated notions as you know.  It’s not an excuse, but we were just following our sires lead and then it just became habit. Now it is hard to correct cause he is defined by it.” 

Emil nodded and said, “Well, try? 

Seung-gil said, “I can’t speak for the others, but I will.”

Emil said, “I’d better catch up to him.”

Seung-gil said, “Good luck.”

Emil began climbing to the next level, trying to catch up with Michele.  Michele was actually waiting for him on the next level.

Michele mumbled, “Sorry.” as Emil came into view.

Emil said, “I am just glad you waited for me.”

Michele looked up, surprised.  

_ I thought he would be mad. Emil is so. . . I just can’t get a read on him.  He should be mad but he isn’t. Why isn’t he mad? _

Emil asked, “Ready to go to the next level.”

Michele nodded and headed up the ladder. It wasn’t too long until they found themselves on the level where Emil had been staying. Emil lead the way to the aviary that he had been staying at.  He opened the door and gestured for Michele to enter. 

_ Wow, this is a lot nicer than mine. And he consented to winter with me? _

Emil said, “I don’t have a whole lot.  I’ve had to keep my possessions pretty sparse since I have to carry everything from village to village.”

Michele said, “I can’t imagine having to do that.”

Emil shrugged and said, “I really wanted to find my soulmate.”

_ And he doesn’t even want me.   _

Michele cleared his throat and said, “So what do we need to take?”

Emil walked into the kitchen area and gathered all the food he had stored and placed it on the table.  He also retrieved his knife and few eating utensils. He walked around the aviary picking up a few personal items he had. Momentos from home or from places he had visited. He retrieved a first aid kit from underneath his wash basin.  He went into the bedroom and came back with a pillow and a couple of extra sets of clothes, one of which looked like his winter clothing. He put everything on the table.

Michele said, “That’s it?”

Emil shrugged and said, “Told you I’ve had to travel light.”

Michele said, “Well, why doesn’t one of us take the food and the other take all the other items?”

Emil said, “That sounds good, which do you want?”

Michele said, “I’ll take the food.”

_ I don’t want to be responsible if something happens to what little stuff you have. _

Emil nodded and began packing his sack with the various non-food items. Michele stepped up to the table and began storing the food into his sack.

_ This is more than I have for a week.  How does he find all this? Not all of it is hunting or trading, I am sure. _

Once they got everything packed away, Emil wiped everything in the aviary down with a cleaning rag. 

Michele said, “You don’t plan on coming back to this one, do you?”

Emil shook his head and said, “No.  I will establish myself in one of the permanent aviaries if I stay.”

Michele looked at Emil.

_ If he stays?  Why would he leave? Oh.  _

Emil asked, “Ready to go?”

Michele nodded.

Emil said, “Going down should be easier.  Did you want to see your sister while you were up here? Her aviary is on this level.”

Michele said, “You know my sister?”

Emil nodded. 

Michele asked, “Can we?”

Emil said, “Sure, but she. . .”

Michele thought  _ is going to give me a time about not bonding.   _

Michele said, “On the other hand, maybe we should figure this all out before I see her.”

Emil chuckled and said, “Sara and her mate can be a little intimidating.”

Unfortunately, they ran into Sara as soon as they left the guest aviary. 

_ Seung-gil must have told her about the bonding.  Damn it. _

Sara said, “Michele, what’s going on?  Why are you up here? Emil. . . are your wings purple?”

She looked at her brother with wide eyes.

_ He has a soulmate.  _

Michele said, “Well, as far as I know, I can go anywhere in the village I want.”

Sara said, “I didn’t mean. . .”

Emil said softly, “You kind of did.”

Sara, turning towards Emil, said, “Your wings.”

She reached a hand out as if to touch them but her brother stepped in front of her, blocking Emil. 

_ I don’t want her touching him.  What’s wrong with me? We are not even completely bonded. How. . . why. . . do I feel this way? _

Sara withdrew her hand and took a step back. 

Sara, looking confused, asked, “Why are your wings still white, Mickey?”

Michele looked down but didn’t answer her.  She snuck a look at Emil who was still shielded by Michele. 

_ How do I tell her that they made him feel so worthless that he won’t bond with me? And she didn’t even mention her brother.  _

Emil said, “It came as quite the shock to both of us.  We’ve decided to take it slow. I am going to winter with Michele, though, so we can get to know one another.”

Sara nodded and then said, “I’m sorry. . . I should of. . . I didn’t.”

Michele said, “You didn’t think. . . of me. . . at all. None of you did.  It’s like I am not real to you. I breath, I hurt, and I have feelings, but no one here would know anything about that. Emil is the only one who has actually come down to my aviary with good intentions in so long.  You come because of guilt and others come to torment. And I am sure no one mentioned me to Emil, even though everyone knew why he was here.”

Tears of frustration gathered in the corner of Michele’s eyes. 

Sara looked startled and ashamed.  She looked to Emil for help. He shook his head.

Emil said, “I saw him and asked Seung-gil who he was.”

Michele starting shaking.  Emil put a hand on his shoulder, being very careful not to touch his wings.  

_ I won’t take this one thing he can control away from him.  I will wait, forever, if necessary. _

Michele said softly, “I’d like to go home, please.”

Emil said, “Sure.  We are done here.”

Michele and Emil walked carefully past Sara and, reaching the ladder, they began their descent to Michele’s home. She watched them disappear down into the lower levels.  It didn’t take them nearly as long to climb down to Michele’s aviary as it did to climb up to Emil’s.

Michele walked into his aviary and laid his sack on the table. He wanted to slam the door but he didn’t really want to shut it in Emil’s face. 

_ He is the only avam who actually gives a damn about me.  _

He began pacing. Emil followed the upset avam into the aviary. He stood in the doorway a moment watching Michele pace.  At a loss of what to do, he sat at the table and continued to watch Michele move about the aviary. His feathers were ruffled in anger. 

Emil said, “Michele. . . are. . . is there?”

Michele silenced him with a look and continued to pace and think. 

_ I KNEW IT!  But it still hurts to hear that not even my own sister thought to tell Emil about me. I am the only fucking avam here with no soulmate.  You’d think. . . but here I am being as bad as them to Emil by not letting him complete the bond.  _

Emil finally got up from the table and took the food and put it away, being careful to avoid Michele’s pathway. 

Emil asked, “Do you mind?”

He gestured to the bag holding his personal items. Michele shook his head.  Emil found a place to put all his items. There was plenty of room as Michele didn’t have much. Michele finally wore himself out and sat down. 

Emil said, “Are you okay?”

Michele replied, “Not really.”

Emil asked, “Is there anything I can do help?”

Michele shook his head and replied, “Not unless you can turn back time and undo all this.”

Emil said sadly, “By this, do you mean me?  I mean if you truly don’t want me. . . I can go back to my home village.  That way I won’t be here to bother you.”

Michele, looking sadly at Emil, asked, “Is that what you want?”

_ Will he abandon me too? _

Emil shook his head and said, “No.  I’ve looked for you so long. I want to stay here and be with you. But I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

Michele said, “Then stay.  You are the only one who has treated me. . .”

_ Stay, please stay. Don’t leave me. _

Emil asked, “Treated you?”

Michele replied, “As something beyond a broken thing.”

Emil said, “You are more than your wings.”

Michele said, “No one else thinks so.”

Emil said, “I think so. And I’ll stay if you are sure that is what you want.”

Michele nodded. 

Michele walked over to Emil and held out a hand.  Emil took Michele’s hand and allowed him to help him out of the chair.  They stood facing each other.

Michele said, “Touch them.  Give color to my wings, Emil.”

Emil sucked in a breath and asked, “Are you sure?”

Michele said, “I’m sure.”

Michele turned around.  Emil softly touched his soulmate’s wings.  He watched as the blue color spiraled out in a complex pattern on the wings.

Emil breathed, “Beautiful.”

Michele looked down at the part of his wings he could see and noticed the color. He let out the breath he had been holding.  

_ I was afraid that the color wouldn’t come.  _

Michele turned around to see Emil who had a look of wonder in his eyes.

Emil said, “I can’t believe that I finally found you.”

Michele said, “Well, now you are stuck with me.”

Emil laughed and said, “I think I can handle that.”

He leaned down and captured his soulmate’s lips in a kiss. When they broke apart, both boys smiled, thinking of the future that they had together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Please check out our 18+ Yuri on Ice Discord Channel and my [tumblr ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/auronevardell) page.


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